Alexandru Panait, business development representative (26) uit Roemenië, was een van de Management Trainees van de Wim Bosman Groep.
"During the European Management Trainee program I’ve been to Belgium and the Netherlands, and now I’m back in Romania. I almost came straight from school to Wim Bosman Group and was a bit nervous about going to work abroad. I doubted if I was going to do it well. But I learned a lot and my self-confidence raised profoundly. It is intense. You get thrown into the swimming pool and have to swim. It is a tough experience, but if you handle it, the knowledge that you gain is consistent. I came back with another mentality: I would not so easily say ‘no’ anymore to a request: there is a solution for everything.
Personal life and work
I met different approach towards work in Belgium and the Netherlands. You split personal life and work. In Romania we mix it, we go out with colleagues. Another aspect is that the hierarchic structure in Romania is like a pyramid. You expect clear instructions about what to do and how. In The Netherlands it is more flat. In the Dutch style there is more freedom in your work to express your mind, and your even expected to do so. In the beginning I didn’t understand that and it was a bit difficult to find my place, but me and my manager talked about it and we worked it out to a fruitful collaboration.
Soft skills
The part of the program that our company fulfills is about knowledge and technical skills. De Baak provides the part of the more soft skills you need to become a leader. The bridge between this interesting mix are the coaching sessions. Among others, one aspect I’ve realized, that al the trainees are different, there aren’t good or bad trainees or good or bad skills, only different ones. The trick is to use the differences. At first I was disappointed about the training from de Baak because they won’t tell you straight what to do to solve your issues, but rather train you to find your own solutions. When I did find the ‘key’ I was happier than ever. It gives you confidence how to find solutions or how to arrange finding your solution with others.
As a family
One of the best parts of the MTP is nicely expressed by the following happening: one of the times when we got all together at de Baak in Driebergen in the Netherlands, a new trainee told us (and we didn’t ask about that subject) that we looked and acted as a family. That is nice and typically, it feels like being part of a European family, we just keep in touch, inspire and help each other. I’m quite satisfied about this program and looking forward for the challenges to come…"
Artikel: Management Trainee programma Wim Bosman Groep